5 Tips on Doing Your Own Christmas Card Photo Shoot

{Thank you Minted for teaming up with me on this post.  Thank you for supporting those brands that make My Life From Home possible.  See full disclosure policy, here.}

I love having a beautiful Christmas card each year.  It's one of the things I enjoy most about the season; giving and receiving cards.  It's a joy for me to see friends and family from afar and see how their families have grown and changed in the last year.  In the past, I have scheduled our family for a photo shoot before Christmas cards needing to be completed.  This year, in the interest in saving money (and giving myself a challenge with my new camera), I decided to try my hand at taking my own photos for our cards.  My hubby has had a lot of out-of-town travel, so instead of waiting for a full family picture this year, our card will feature just our kids.  

I organized outfits just like I normally would, told the kids, set up the scene and picked the day.  I'm going to say this, it wasn't as easy as just that, but it also wasn't that hard with some planning.  Here are some of the tips I would recommend in doing your own mini photo shoot.

1. Choose a location that will give a good backdrop for your shoot.  Scope this out ahead of time. Possibilities could be a park, your backyard, a familiar landmark, or even in the kitchen or bedrooms.  If you choose indoors, make sure to check your source of lighting.

2. Set up props.  These can be very simple.  Examples of good props are a chair or a stool, a blanket to sit on if outdoors, a present to hold, or a favorite toy.  I decided to do our shoot in our back yard, so I moved from inside the house a chair, pillow, and blanket and just set them up.  Then to give the kids something to hold, I bought a white gift box put a gold bow on it.

3. Coordinate outfits without being matchy- match.  I like the idea of having everyone's outfits coordinated but not matching.  Using a color scheme that works, choose outfits for each person in the family.  We decided on a black, white, and gold scheme.

4. Stagger the heads.  Try to place people so that their heads aren't in front of anyone else or exactly side by side.  It looks more natural and creates a better flow for your eye line.

5. Let kids be kids!  I love candid photos.  Some of the silly shots are always my favorites.  They show the real child and the joy of laughter and love.  Don't be too worried about it being stiff and posed, instead just have fun with it.

I am truly happy with the photos we were able to capture.  One of these if not more will definitely make our card this year.  

If you are looking for Holiday cards this year, I HIGHLY recommend, Minted.  Minted has cards in every current style and trend. Featuring  their independent artists styles include real foil-pressed holiday cards in gold, silver and rose gold and photo letterpress cards featuring the luxurious look and feel of letterpress paired with unique inks and vibrant colors.  All Holiday cards are available with matching custom stamps, envelope designs and FREE recipient addressing.  Save time and make your holiday cards beautiful! Their paper is thick and luxurious and you can even get postcards, ornaments, and ornament cards in die cut shapes!

Here are some of my favorites this season!  

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 Sprig Card |   Joy    | Joyful   | Ornament Card   | Cheers    | Merry and Bright

I need help choosing a pic and a card!!  That's going to be the hardest part!  Let me know what you think I should choose.

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To life feeling like home!

XO,